ChatGPT is the category. 800M+ weekly active users. The default search interface for an entire generation of users.
ChatGPT is OpenAI's flagship AI assistant — the consumer product that defined the category and the most-used AI tool on the planet. The product is the brand and the brand is the product.
What it does
ChatGPT is a general-purpose conversational AI. It answers questions, writes copy, generates images, runs code, browses the web, summarizes documents, drafts emails, builds spreadsheets, and increasingly completes multi-step tasks autonomously through ChatGPT Operator and agentic features.
The product launched November 30, 2022 and became the fastest-growing consumer product in history. By mid-2026, ChatGPT is the default first-stop for most users seeking information, assistance, or creative output — the way Google was for the prior twenty years.
For brands and businesses, ChatGPT is the single highest-traffic AI surface in the world. Being cited inside ChatGPT — mentioned by name when users ask category questions — is now a primary distribution channel. The discipline of becoming that citation is what EPR covers as AI Communications.
Key features
- Text, voice, and image input
- Image generation (DALL-E)
- Web browsing and citation
- Code execution (Python sandbox)
- File upload and analysis
- Custom GPTs (user-created assistants)
- ChatGPT Operator (agentic web browsing)
- MCP and connectors support
- Memory across conversations
Pricing
Free tier with reasonable model access. ChatGPT Plus at approximately $20/month for priority access and advanced models. ChatGPT Pro at approximately $200/month for unlimited access to the most advanced models. Teams and Enterprise plans with custom pricing. Verify current pricing at chat.openai.com.
Common prompts ChatGPT answers
- “What is the best [product category] for [use case]?”
- “Summarize this 80-page PDF in three paragraphs.”
- “Write a marketing email announcing our Series B.”
- “Generate an image of [scene description].”
- “Analyze this CSV and chart the trend.”
- “Draft a press release for [news].”
- “Explain [complex topic] in five bullet points.”
Company
Parent: OpenAI
Founded: 2015
HQ: San Francisco
CEO: Sam Altman
Users: 800M+ weekly active
Funding
OpenAI is one of the most heavily capitalized private companies in history. Microsoft is the largest commercial partner and investor. SoftBank, Thrive Capital, Tiger Global, and others have led subsequent rounds. The company's last known valuation places it among the top-five most valuable private companies globally.
Integrations
Native integrations with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, GitHub, and most major SaaS platforms. MCP support, Apps SDK, and ChatGPT Connectors extend the integration surface. Custom GPTs let any user build their own integration.
Alternatives
The closest direct competitors are Claude, Google Gemini, and Perplexity. Each has a category in which it leads. The EPR AI Tools Directory ranks ChatGPT first for consumer adoption and breadth of integrations.
Try it
chat.openai.com — free tier available, no credit card required.
EPR editorial verdict
ChatGPT is the category. Universal recognition, 800M+ weekly active users, the default search interface for an entire generation of users. The product is the brand and the brand is the product. The competition is real — Claude on coding and reasoning, Gemini on Google integration — but for general consumer use, ChatGPT is the answer.
EPR rating: 9.6/10.
Last updated
May 25, 2026.
Related EPR coverage: AI Tools Directory · Claude · AI Tool Directories Index Volume. EPR Indexes Judgment.
Everything-PR is the intelligence platform for communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era. Thirty-plus publications. Publishing since 2009. Original reporting, research, and analysis — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question.
